Identifying lies told by powerful political leaders -- and describing them as such -- is what good journalists do, by definition. It's the crux of adversarial journalism, of a "watchdog" press. "Objectivity" does not require refraining from pointing out the falsity of government claims. Full Story »
Posted by Jon Mitchell - via Clay Shirky, Dave Winer, Jack Shafer, Jay Rosen
That calling a lie a lie is controversial among journalists certainly says all that needs to be said about the state of American news media today. Journalists unwilling to speak truth to power would do well to find a new profession. The American people would have been well served if these journalists had challenged the Bush administration about weapons of mass destruction and al-Qaeda ties to Saddam Hussein, for instance. A lie is a lie. So when presented with one, identify it clearly.
the writer points out how strange it seems when those reporting news, facts, are not supposed to tell listeners when the facts are distorted or clearly lied about by political leader, that this is 'taking sides', not being objective. and what may seem even more strange is that it is those in the news media themselves who espouse this. the update statement regarding the idea that both the lie and the truth must be treated the same is neutral reporting does say what's wrong with much of the news journalism. however, what doesn't appear here is the idea that when the non-journalist reporters call the truth 'lies', as happens regularly,for journalists to point out the opposite, using the same descriptive word, may not be the most ... More »
Rainey, Kurtz and Dickey all have this exactly backwards. Identifying lies told by powerful political leaders — and describing them as such - is what good ... More »
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